Cairo, EgyptMonday, 5 October 2026
Nobody anywhere has built the playbook yet. We're all figuring it out in real time — and for Egypt, the stakes are unusually high. Egypt could leapfrog a generation on the back of this technology — or watch AI hollow out the industries and jobs we can't afford to lose. Neither the optimists nor the doomsayers have it exactly right, but the leaders who get literate early will be the ones who get to decide.
Rewiring your company around AI — where to begin and who should own it
Can you fire all the developers and marketers? The manpower debate
Getting your brand seen in a world where AI does the searching
Betting against AI — on craft, hospitality, and the physical world
Every session is built around one question: So, what do I do about it?
Everyone who plays a role in our industry:
Attendees at our events are C-suite officers, business owners, and their direct reports; we also make an allocation for folks we think could be tomorrow's founders and c-suite executives.
Partner with us to put your brand in front of Egypt's most senior business leaders. Our commercial team will be in touch to discuss sponsorship packages.
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Ahmad Badreldin is the Managing Director of El Badr for Investments and Commercial Spaces, a leading developer of premium commercial destinations in Egypt.
With over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate development, construction management, and real estate finance, he is recognized for shaping influential urban landmarks in West Cairo.
Under his leadership, El Badr for Investments and Commercial Spaces has become a pioneer in the industry, notably creating Arkan Plaza, one of Egypt's first open-air lifestyle and business hubs, launched in 2012, and evolved into a central landmark in Sheikh Zayed, setting new standards for integrated urban development. In 2018, Ahmad led the planning and execution of Arkan's Extension, expanding the project fourfold, which opened in 2021. This development significantly enhanced the mixed-use offering in West Cairo by introducing premium retail, office, hospitality, entertainment, and cultural spaces, solidifying Arkan's status as a leader in upscale, walkable community design.
Beyond commercial development, Ahmad also leads Badreldin Construction, one of Egypt's prominent constructions and engineering firms, overseeing a wide range of residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects. His commitment to quality, innovation, and timely delivery has established the company as a trusted partner in the real estate sector.
Additionally, Ahmad serves as a Director of Arkan Palm for Real Estate Development, the developer of 205, a transformative 205-feddan mixed-use master plan in Sheikh Zayed. Conceived as a future-forward city center, 205 integrates premium residential neighborhoods, medical and wellness clusters, commercial districts, luxury hospitality, and public spaces, redefining urban living in West Cairo. Ahmad plays a central role in guiding the project's strategic vision, planning, and execution, ensuring its position as one of Egypt's most dynamic urban hubs.
Ahmad holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from The American University in Cairo.
Ahmed is an accomplished banking professional with over 30 years of experience in progressively senior roles across banking verticals spanning international and regional banks covering major global markets.
He has gained extensive experience and exceptional financial acumen across banking products, covering a wide range of disciplines and incorporating hands-on knowledge of solutions in the areas of Corporate and Banking, including trade finance, contracting and real estate finance, payment and cash management. Investment Banking, including Debt Capital Markets, Equity Capital Markets, Project Finance, and advisory. As well as Islamic banking, Retail Banking, portfolio management, in addition to full familiarity with global markets products, structured trade, and supply chain solutions.
Ahmed El Alfi, Founder and Chairman of Sawari Ventures, has been named as one of the most creative people in the world by Fast Company. He has been an early stage/growth investor for over 30 years, translating to an extensive experience in funding and nurturing early-stage companies.
He is also the founder of Flat6Labs, Nafham, and TATP. Flat6Labs is the MENA region’s leading startup accelerator. Nafham is the top Arabic online video educational platform covering the Egyptian, Saudi and Syrian public school curriculums, TATP took over management of half of the American University in Cairo’s Tahrir Square campus to form The GrEEK Campus; a 25,000 square meter office park where over 130 companies work and collaborate.
He has served on the Boards of Directors or Advisors of several corporate boards as well as multiple academic institutions.
Ahmed Wahby has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Egypt Education Platform (EEP) since 2019. He played a pivotal role in building the entire team from the ground up through successfully integrating various schools into the platform through a combination of brownfield acquisitions, greenfield projects, and management contracts.
Mr. Helal is a seasoned finance professional bringing in over 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience across Egypt, the MENA region, and emerging markets with a proven track record of value creation and monetization as an advisor and investor.
He is the Chief Executive Officer Sell-Side Investment Bank at CI Capital where he is responsible for leading the bank’s sell-side activities across Egypt and the region.
Prior to joining CI Capital, Amr was the Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Capital North Africa where he was responsible for leading the business across North Africa and the Middle East.
Mr. Helal is credited with building Renaissance Capital’s presence across Egypt and the MENA region having established Renaissance Capital as a trusted advisor to Government-backed entities and private corporates alike with a number of landmark transactions and executions across equity capital markets, debt advisory and M&A.
Previously Amr held senior leadership positions with The Abraaj Group and EFG-Hermes.
Amr is a founding and board member of the Egyptian Private Equity Association, a recipient of the prestigious AUC Outstanding Alumni Award and the Money & Finance Summit award for contribution to the Egyptian economy as well as a regular speaker at a number of conferences and events.
Amr is a graduate of the American University in Cairo with a BA where he majored in economics and minored in political science international relations.
Bassem joined BCG in 2020 to establish the firm in Egypt. He focuses on delivering $100M+ opportunities to partners by shaping and executing bold ideas—whether new venture builds or large-scale transformations—with local relevance and strong partnerships, bringing the best of BCG to Egypt.
He is a recognized expert in financial institutions, real estate, and investment.
Bassem advises public- and private-sector clients in Egypt, the broader MEA region, and beyond on strategy, value creation, and modernization. His work spans business strategy and value creation, operating and governance model development, large-scale transformation, digitization, investment due diligence and execution, joint venture development, and supply chain optimization.
Ahmed Demerdash Badrawi – Dasha - serves as the Executive Vice Chairman of MARAKEZ, a member of the Fawaz Alhokair Group, one of the largest Saudi based foreign investors in Egypt with interests in real estate, retail and the renewables sectors.Dasha joined the Group to lead the new phase of its development and expansion in Egypt and established MARAKEZ in 2015.Today MARAKEZ operates in multiple asset classes:
In 9 short years, MARAKEZ has become the leading mixed-use developer in Egypt with one of the largest recurring revenue platforms in the country.
Hanan Abdel Meguid is an icon of the Middle East’s tech scene with over 25 years of experience in the field and a successful track record as a serial entrepreneur since the earliest days of the Internet.
Earlier in her career, Hanan was the CEO of Orascom Telecom Ventures S.A.E. (also known as OT Ventures). She was also the CEO of LINKdotNET’s software development spin-off firm, LINK Development, having been a part of LINKdotNET since joining in 1996 as its Chief Solution Officer, where she contributed immensely to the company’s success and growth.
Between 2017– 2019, she held the role of VP of Innovation at the American University in Cairo. Hanan is always driven by transformative innovation and that is reflected in the current portfolio of companies that she leads.
She founded and is currently the CEO of Kamelizer Technology, a Cairo-based venture that aims to accelerate and energize the startup scene in Egypt. She is also the Head of Audio Innovation & Partner in Iqraaly, the first application & platform for audio books in the Arabic language. In addition, Hanan is the CEO of CONSOLEYA, a hub for businesses that’s revolutionizing the coworking space in Egypt and is a hub for several events in the fintech, fashion, culture, and art ecosystem. She also serves as a mentor for incubators such as Flat6labs, Tahrir2, and Google’s Ebda2 initiative.
John Saad is a distinguished leader in the technology sector, boasting over 20 years of extensive experience in commercial and marketing roles. Throughout his career, Saad has held key C-suite positions across Egypt and the GCC, consistently driving commercial growth and success in dynamic corporate environments.
Currently serving as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Contact Financial Holding, Saad began his professional journey at one of Egypt’s largest telecom companies, where he advanced through various marketing roles before ascending to prominent C-level roles. He served as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at several leading companies across Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, overseeing critical commercial operations and strategy.
Saad also served as CEO of a leading digital entertainment platform and is the Co-Founder and CEO of one of the region’s leading AI-focused companies.
Saad holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, with a major in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and a minor in Economics, from The American University in Cairo (AUC).
Laila joined Algebra Ventures as a General Partner to launch the VC's second fund in 2021. She is also a Venture Partner at 500 Global where she is responsible for 500's first MENA Fund (500 Falcons). She joined 500 back in 2019 as a Principal to lead the fund's follow on strategy. Laila has been instrumental in expanding portfolio data gathering as well as analysis efforts from the portfolio. Prior to that, Laila worked with several VC firms across the region such as Middle East Venture Partners in UAE and Algebra Ventures in Egypt where she led transactions and worked with portfolio companies on fundraising and operational enhancements.
Laila was active in the venture capital and startup landscape in Egypt, where she worked as a consultant for several start-up businesses assisting them in developing operational and fundraising schemes. She led investment assessments and provided recommendations to several VCs and family offices in the region. While completing her MBA from London Business School, Laila joined the investment banking division at Morgan Stanley in London as a summer associate, after which she opted to move back to Egypt to pursue a career among the now-thriving startup community. Prior to her postgraduate studies, she worked as an associate at Qalaa Holdings, a regional private equity firm based out of Cairo, where she focused on the alternative energy, oil and gas and glass sectors. She holds a dual undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Law from the American University in Cairo and Cairo University respectively.
Mr. Mostafa Gad is the Global Head of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes, where he spearheads the firm’s Equity Capital Markets, Debt Capital Markets, and Advisory practices, covering IPOs, M&A transactions, and strategic corporate advisory across EFG Hermes’ expansive MENA footprint. With nearly two decades of frontline investment banking experience, he has played a pivotal role in shaping capital markets activity in Egypt and the wider GCC, consistently delivering landmark transactions that have set new benchmarks for the region.
Since joining EFG Hermes in 2007, following his tenure at HSBC’s Corporate Banking Department, Mr. Gad has advised leading corporates, sovereign entities, and private equity sponsors on transformative deals. Under his leadership, EFG Hermes has cemented its position as a trusted partner for clients navigating complex and high-profile transactions, whether raising capital, executing mergers and acquisitions, or structuring debt solutions.
Andrew brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the payments industry, having successfully led businesses operating in the UK, Europe, and for the last 8 years, in Africa and the Middle East. He has worked for several recognised global brands, including Barclays, Mastercard, and Elavon, and before joining enza, was a senior executive at Network International. During his international career, he has worked across multiple disciplines and gained deep experience operating in both private-equity owned and publicly-listed businesses.
Todd Wilcox is the Deputy Chairman and CEO for HSBC Bank Egypt. Todd has an extensive international banking experience for more than 30 years. He joined Egypt from HSBC China, where he was appointed as Senior Executive Vice President, Deputy CEO and Executive Director of the Board. Todd has been in a series of leadership roles as he was appointed as CEO Brunei for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Earlier in his career, he was appointed as CRO for Asia-Pacific overseeing 11 markets in the region and served as COO for Risk across all Asian markets. Todd was also appointed as Head of Retail Banking and Marketing, HSBC Bermuda and he had spent the first two years of his career within HSBC in Canada, helping to expand the Group’s operations. Prior to joining HSBC, Todd worked for Royal Bank of Canada in a wide range of business and functional roles.
Youssef is the co-founder and CTO of Wondercraft, an AI-power creative studio. Since the AI burst into the spotlight in 2022, Youssef has focused on how to best extract value from this technology rather than extending the illusion of productivity. Wondercraft is backed by Y Combinator and has raised $3m in a seed round in 2024.
Prior to Wondercraft, Youssef spent 4 years at Palantir building out their European practice.
Al-Mashat enjoys more than 20 years of international experience in central banking, financial systems, monetary policy frameworks, international cooperation policies and strategies, sustainable development, and climate finance. She is a co-founder and a member of several advisory boards, international alliances, and associations. She pushes forward partnerships and multilateralism as key enablers to accelerate sustainable development, climate action, and gender equality. Managing the country’s partnerships with numerous bilateral and multilateral development institutions, she ensures the alignment and synergies of development finance and activities across different economic sectors. Al-Mashat developed Egypt’s Country Platform for the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy «NWFE»-نُوَفِّي, to leverage Egypt’s international partnerships and mobilize climate finance to accelerate the green transition. Her previous roles at the IMF, working with governments in the Middle East & Central Asia, Africa, and Asia, expanded her expertise in development systems and structural reforms in developing and emerging economies. Moreover, she has several publications on monetary policy, financial stability, and institutional reforms.
H.E Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat has been part of Egypt’s cabinet of ministers since 2018, where she currently serves as the Minister of Planning, Economic Development & International Cooperation, and has previously served as the Minister of International Cooperation (Dec 2019 - July 2024), and as the first female Minister of Tourism (Jan 2018 - Dec 2019). She worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC as Advisor to the Chief Economist (Aug 2016 - Jan 2018), and Senior Economist (2001 - 2005). She also served at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), as the Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy (Aug. 2005 - Jun. 2016), where she contributed to modernizing the CBE’s monetary policy strategy underpinned by structural reforms to formally adopt an inflation-targeting regime, a key pillar of the banking sector reform program launched in 2004. Furthermore, she participated in the country’s macroeconomic management through the design and update of the macroeconomic framework in conjunction with other ministries and government entities and was the CBE’s liaison with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Sovereign Rating Agencies.
Hassan El Khatib, the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. With a career spanning over 35 years, he has made significant contributions to private equity, investment management and corporate governance.
El Khatib currently serves as a non-executive Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt and a member of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), he also served as an Independent Board Member of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt from 2019 to 2023. His commitment to economic development is exemplified by his involvement with the Egyptian Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Committee.
From 2014 to 2023, he served as Managing Director Equity at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), managing a portfolio valued at $8-10 billion. He oversaw direct and quasi-equity investments across 38 countries, achieving successful exits exceeding $6 billion and substantial profits for the bank.
Prior to his role at EBRD, El Khatib held significant positions in the private equity sector. As Managing Director at the Carlyle Group and as Managing Partner at EFG-Hermes Private Equity.
He has contributed his expertise to numerous sectors, including financial institutions, energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, real estate and charity organizations. He is the ex-Chairman of the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association and the Egyptian Private Equity Association. Additionally, he is the founder and a member of the board of trustees for the Misr ElKheir Foundation, and has been involved with various boards and advisory committees, including the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies and the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo.
El Khatib holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from California State University, Sacramento, where he graduated with highest distinction, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Structural Engineering from Cairo University. H.E. El Khatib is also a visiting lecturer at Imperial College London’s postgraduate Masters of Finance (MSc) Programme.
